The recent headlines about Merck's Vioxx withdrawal and the FDA's move to ban ephedra have brought a lot of media attention to the growing area of drug litigation.

On April 12, 2004 the FDA published a rule banning health supplements that contain ephedra alkaloids. The FDA concluded that the limited short term weight loss effects were outweighed by possible heart problems and stroke risks. The market gap caused by the banning of ephedra has been filled by many new companies that are marketing products similar to ephedra. However, these